The present disclosure will refer to restaurant and public eating area high chairs as restaurant high chairs and it will be assumed that they are also intended for use in public eating areas. References to high chairs designed to be used in homes and not marketed for use in restaurants are as home high chairs.
High chairs are used to seat infants and toddlers at a level where they can be fed by an adult or at a level so that when the high chair is pushed up to a table, the child is able to use the table surface. Most home high chairs include a permanent or detachable tray for the child to use and do not require a table or additional surface for the child. High chairs used in restaurants usually resemble the one shown in FIG. 5. This design is popular because it is simple, safe, and stackable. Most restaurant high chairs do not contain a tray because it would take up more space, be harder to clean, and be more difficult to store.
Refer to FIG. 5. Prior art restaurant high chairs usually resemble the one shown in FIG. 5 and consist of a frame formed by two front legs 31 and two back legs 32 connected at the base by two horizontal support pieces 39. The horizontal support pieces 39 aid in stability, joint durability, and ease of stacking. The front legs 31 and back legs 32 often have additional support pieces 33 connecting both front legs 31 and back legs 32. Some prior art restaurant high chairs have a footrest 34, which provides extra structural support. The front legs 31 and back legs 32 support a flat seat 36, a backrest 38, two side railings 40, and a front bar 41 to ensure that the child does not fall out. The front bar 41 may have a crotch strap 37 connected to the front of the seat 36 that goes in between the child's legs, so that the child does not slide under the front bar 41.
Prior art restaurant high chairs, like the one shown in FIG. 5, are safe for children, easy to use, and stackable. However, they are difficult to carry, take up a large amount of space when stored, and break easily.
Because prior art restaurant high chairs do not fold, they are difficult to carry. Unlike home high chairs, which are often left in one place or stored near where they are regularly used, restaurant high chairs must be stored out of the dining space and moved to and from tables as necessary during meal service. Other prior art includes a high chair similar to the one in FIG. 5 without the horizontal support pieces 39 connecting the front legs 31 with the back legs 32. This version claims to be easier to carry, such that when carrying the high chair on a person's side, the horizontal support pieces 39 would have to rest against the person's leg. Without these pieces, carrying the high chair is supposed to be more ergonomic, however, it neglects to consider that the person carrying the high chair would have to walk partially between the front legs 31 and back legs 32, which could result in tripping and injury.
Additionally, restaurant high chairs must be stored in areas that are often difficult to access, like restrooms or storage areas located away from the dining room. Transporting high chairs from these areas is inefficient and inconvenient for employees seating customers. Seating tables quickly is important because it positively affects restaurant sales and improves customer service. In most restaurants, if a high chair is needed, the request is relayed from a host, or a similarly positioned employee, to another employee who must walk to where high chairs are stored, carry one back to a table, and then walk back to the host, or the similarly positioned employee, who is then able to seat the customer.
Finally, prior art restaurant high chair designs are not generally conducive to safe storage. Prior art restaurant high chairs are often stored in tall stacks, with each placed vertically on top of one another. Stacks of high chairs can easily reach five or more feet. In addition, this kind of stacking requires the bottom of the high chair to be lifted high enough to clear the top of a single or previously stacked high chair. At times this height can exceed the height of the person stacking the high chairs. Moreover, it is easy for hands and fingers to get pinched in between restaurant high chairs while they are being stacked.
Some attempts at making folding home high chairs have been made, such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,851,086, and also the Graco Baby Slim Spaces High Chair (http://www.gracobaby.com) sold by Newell Brands of Hoboken, N.J. However, these designs are intended to be purchased individually and are not designed to be stored alongside multiple units. Additionally, they are either not robust enough for constant public use or have a complicated construction and thus there is a need for a simpler and more durable foldable high chair for use in restaurants.